Perth Voice Interactive

COLES will tidy up a vacant property it owns in Maylands before selling it, following community complaints about the town’s “eyesore”.

Dead weeds, a rusted fence, rubbish and an abandoned car park are the main features at 231 Guildford Road — which the supermarket giant has barely touched since buying it eight years ago.

The derelict site has had locals concerned about its impact on property prices and the ability to attract investment. Coles spokeswoman Rebecca Schrauf concedes “community concerns” are prompting the clean up, which involves the removal of overgrown vegetation and fence repairs. Coles is in “advanced discussions with an interested party to sell the site for potential development”.

Locals on a new Facebook page——Coles, why don’t you care about Maylands?—say they’ve waited long enough for something to be done. Comments include ideas to temporarily turn the space into a community hub. Ideas on the page—which generated 300 likes in its first week—include installing an outdoor cinema, artwork, community garden, or badminton or beach volleyball courts.

Behind the keyboard, Elliaz Pik says the page was set up by locals who don’t want Maylands overlooked: “We want people to come to Maylands and experience what this town can offer instead of choosing to go to other places like Mount Lawley,” he says.

“It’s part of our main centre and it’s a real eyesore. That’s why this is so important. It impacts the community as well as the value of our properties.”

In 2012 the WA liquor commission rejected Cole’s plan for a $7 million grog superstore at the site after a community backlash.

by EMMIE DOWLING